Get Clean Water from Air for less than 2 cents a liter

October 26, 2018

A couple residing in LA has won $1.5 million in cash (XPrize) for developing a system that can make clean water from air for less than 2 cents a quart.

For those who are unfamiliar with the word ‘quart’, please take note that a quart is a unit of measurement for liquids that stands for different values in the US and the UK. While a quart is equal to 0.94 liters in the US, the same unit refers to 1.14 liters in the UK. So, for the sake of convenience, whenever anyone talks about a quart, they are usually referring to 1 liter of quantity.

David Hertz and his wife Laura Doss-Hertz — with the help of shipping containers, wood chips, and other debris material — have been successful in creating a radical system that can ‘generate’ around 2,000 liters of water from air, every day.

image source: Associated Press (AP)

Without further ado, let’s get down to the exact process the couple used to synthesize clean water from air for the price of peanuts!

First, the couple used shipping containers filled with wood chips to essentially create little rainstorms. This promotes the desirable conditions to draw water from the air, and the wood itself.

The system then relies on a patented Adiabatic Distillation Process, which reduces water vapor to liquid without a gain or loss of heat.

Once the condensation process is over, the water is filtered and treated with ozone, which not only enhances its taste but also prevents potentially hazardous micro-organisms from forming.

The system performs best in regions with high humidity and temperature.

The graphic below will help you better understand the components involved in the process mentioned in point 2.